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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27550219">Fanganronpa: Cold-Blooded Prologue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheColdbloodedDoctor/pseuds/TheColdbloodedDoctor'>TheColdbloodedDoctor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fanganronpa: Cold-Blooded [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fan Characters, Fan Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:02:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,030</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27550219</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheColdbloodedDoctor/pseuds/TheColdbloodedDoctor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A set of original characters in their own killing game, trapped in Castle Despair. Will any Ultimates survive, or will they succumb to the permafrost one by one...? Read to find out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fanganronpa: Cold-Blooded [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013805</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fanganronpa: Cold-Blooded Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fanganronpa: Cold-Blooded<br/>Prologue</p>
<p>“The high for today is a mere forty-five degrees, while the low is predicted to be well below freezing by<br/>sunset.” <em>I knew that already</em>. I turned off the TV. Sapporo always welcomed the harsh winters with open<br/>arms. The bitter cold stung the skin after too much exposure, like some virile, radioactive wave of solar<br/>wind. I always made an effort to stay inside come nightfall so that the ocean breezes didn’t brittle my body.<br/>“I hear it’s great for the skin though,” I say to myself, trying to be hopeful. I always had a knack for that.<br/>Like the comforting inevitability of the sunrise each morning, nothing weighed me down for long. The sun<br/>was a reminder of my ambition, and of those I hold dear. For them, I was finally going to pursue new<br/>heights and shine brighter than I ever had before. Today was the day. The sun shone clearly, unabated by<br/>the clouds, unmasked by freezing rain or snow.</p>
<p>I finished getting dressed. I never quite understood style, claiming to believe in function over fashion;<br/>however, the tendency to try to look cute often didn’t quiet itself. Today was more important than any<br/>other day, after all. Against my better judgment, I didn’t wear a coat; just the same old pinafore with a<br/>long-sleeved blue top underneath. Blue wool leggings, blue hairband, blue glasses. <em>Maybe I am plain</em>, I<br/>thought to myself. <em>But not for much longer</em>.</p>
<p>“Hiyori-chan,” my mother called out to me, “You’re not going to wear a coat?” “There’s no need for that!” I<br/>exclaimed cheerfully. “I’ll be shining as bright as the sun out there today!” She smiled in response, as she<br/>always did to that over-the-top sense of happiness I liked to exude. I got into the car with her and we<br/>headed off on our way. On our way to the future. I could hardly contain my excitement, and out of a desire<br/>to busy myself, I lowered the car window. My mother was used to this by now. <em>Hmm</em>, I thought, <em>the sky is</em><br/><em>clear, but this windchill... This is more than just the ocean breeze. Is there a front coming...?</em> It took all I had to<br/>focus on the weather in an effort to quell my bubbling excitement. We arrived at the station and boarded<br/>the shinkansen together, en route to Hakodate, the city becoming newly renowned for the construction of<br/>Japan’s second branch of Hope’s Peak Academy.</p>
<p>Minutes away, my mother put a hand on my leg and whispered to me. “I’m so proud of you.” My mother<br/>was as plain as I was; we joked that it was an effect of the Nomura family name. Still, even in her<br/>unrevealing public countenance I could see a big smile brewing. I was smiling, too. Before I knew it, we had<br/>arrived at the new station that was built specifically for the academy. Giant crowds had amassed at the<br/>entrance to the humongous campus for the procession. The registration point for students was separate<br/>from that for parents, family, friends, and other onlookers, so I parted from my mom after one last, warm<br/>smile. My heart was beating out of my chest as I walked through the door designated for people like me.</p>
<p>Inside the building hung a banner: “Welcome, Ultimates!” Crowded into that room were at least a hundred<br/>students, each infamous for some sort of talent or ability they possessed. Many people were in formal attire<br/>that clouded their typical expressionism, but even among the tuxedos and dresses, there was much<br/>personality to be observed. Some people offered warm smiles when we met eyes, likely trying to establish a<br/>good first impression with their future classmate. Others stared coldly or refused eye contact altogether.<br/>One boy in particular bore a gaze that seemed to run right through me. Regardless of everyone’s faces, the<br/>room was rife with hope, opportunity, and genius. Some made small talk, but all I could do was bide my<br/>time and stifle my excitement until the ceremony began.</p>
<p>And before long, it did. The chatter in the room quieted into near-stark silence. We were to go up on-<br/>stage, in front of thousands and thousands of reporters, proud family members, and potential employers, to</p>
<p>introduce ourselves as the First Class of Hope’s Peak Academy Campus Two. One after another, we would<br/>be called, so the room collectively hushed to be able to hear our names. The disembodied voice of our new<br/>Headmaster rang through the loudspeakers as the opening ceremony commenced.</p>
<p>???: “Welcome, one and all, to the Opening Ceremony of Hope’s Peak Campus Two’s brightest<br/>and most promising high-school students!”</p>
<p>
  <em>His voice is a little more high-pitched than I had expected...</em>
</p>
<p>Applause rang out cacophonously, accompanied by a melody of camera shutters.</p>
<p>???: “In just a moment, each student will come on-stage to receive their official student badge and<br/>be inaugurated into the class for the coming school year!”</p>
<p>Nervousness floated in my chest like sea-foam on the broad Pacific Ocean. I thought of my mom and her<br/>tender heart, of the proud tears she would shed for my achievement. Was I ready to be an Ultimate? Was I<br/>ready to finally stop being thought of as plain and join the ranks of the world’s best and brightest?<br/>I never got to answer that question for myself.</p>
<p>???: “Without further ado, please welcome our first student, K—”</p>
<p>The lights in the backstage room shut off, as did the sound of the high-pitch headmaster’s voice. There was a<br/>collective gasp, but nobody moved an inch.</p>
<p>
  <em>W-What...? Was there a power surge?</em>
</p>
<p>I almost thought I heard a faint laugh before an indescribable sensation overwhelmed me. I dropped to the<br/>ground, losing consciousness.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Nngh...</em>
</p>
<p>I awoke. The sense of worry I felt was as impermeable as an all-encompassing fog. My head hurt, vibrations<br/>of pain ringing out to greet both ears. The room was dark, exactly as it had been before I fell to the floor.<br/>The first thing I felt was a slight chill... Colder than most buildings are kept. I couldn’t hear anything or see<br/>much in front of me. I took an audible step, relieved that I hadn’t somehow permanently lost my senses.</p>
<p>
  <em>W-What’s going on...?</em>
</p>
<p>I could faintly see light from behind the curtain at the back of the stage. Evidently, I was still at the<br/>ceremony. What had happened to me?</p>
<p>???: “W-Where is everybody? Where am I?”</p>
<p>Those phrases were all I could mutter as I started fumbling in the dark towards the faint light from beyond<br/>the curtain. I found my way up the ramp as my visibility increased little by little... and then dove under the<br/>curtain.</p>
<p>On the other side were... fourteen faces, all staring at me. I was on some sort of small stage in a<br/>gymnasium with a wooden floor, the kind of place every high school had.</p>
<p>
  <em>H-Huh? B-But this was...?</em>
</p>
<p>???: “Heyyy! Come on dooooown!!”</p>
<p>???: “So there’s one more...”</p>
<p>???: “Yo, is this for real? Like, actually?”</p>
<p>???: “Another rat rises out of the sewers, nnhnnhnn... That’s cute.”</p>
<p>
  <em>R-Rat? Wh-Who are... What?</em>
</p>
<p>I got up, fumbling, now standing tall on the other side of the curtain. All of their eyes were still on me...<br/>Some pairs looked scared. Others looked menacing.</p>
<p>???: “That’s not very nice... Hey... Come down here with me. What’s your name?”</p>
<p>???: “I-I’m, uh... H-Hiyori. Hiyori Nomura. W-Where are we?”</p>
<p>A smart-looking girl with jet black hair spoke up abruptly.</p>
<p>???: “No one knows. But we can’t leave. This gym is locked.”</p>
<p>???: “F-For sewious? W-W-W-What do we do?!”</p>
<p>???: “Escape.”</p>
<p>???: “...The hell? I was just standin’ behind a curtain waitin’ for my name to be called and then I<br/>woke up in this shithole...”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “S-So it wasn’t just me? Everyone got knocked out?”</p>
<p>A series of nods waved across the room.</p>
<p>???: “That is correct. You are the eighth person to pose that question.”</p>
<p>???: “Oh dear... And I was just about to be crowned an Ultimate, too...”</p>
<p>
  <em>Ultimate...? That’s right... All of these people must be Ultimates, like me...</em>
</p>
<p>Hiyori: “U-Umm... So you’re all Ultimates...? Have you all introduced yourselves?”</p>
<p>An arrogant-seeming girl in a pretty Japanese-looking outfit answered me.</p>
<p>???: “That is correct, meager one. The syllabic winds of our mouths graced our ears in the dance of<br/>newfound identity.”</p>
<p>
  <em>A simple ‘yes’ would’ve worked just fine...</em>
</p>
<p>???: “Yooo! I didn’t understand a word of what she just said, haha!”</p>
<p>The girl with the black hair from before spoke up again.</p>
<p>???: “Then, we had best introduce ourselves. It might help us to escape this situation.”</p>
<p>
  <em>She’s right... These people and I will have to find our way out together. I’d best get acquainted with them...</em>
</p>
<p>And so, starting from the closest to the farthest, I acquainted myself with everyone.</p>
<p>???: “Mmm, don’t be afraid... It’ll be okay. You can hold onto my sweater if it helps.”</p>
<p>This girl was the one who had asked for my name before. She had long orange hair under a winter hat, an<br/>oversized sweater, and a sweet-seeming personality.</p>
<p>???: “I’m Itoko Chiba. But you can call me To-chan if it makes you feel more comfortable! I’m the<br/>Ultimate Knitter, mmm?”</p>
<p>She offered a very adorable smile, and I tried to smile back, but I couldn’t help but think she was taking this<br/>situation a bit too lightly.</p>
<p>???: “Poggers, I’m next! Yoooo, I’m Ryouta Kondo, the Ultimate Streamer! Enjoy your emotes,<br/>your badge, and your ad-free viewing experience!”</p>
<p>I had no idea what this boy was talking about. I’d heard of streamers before, but I had heard that streaming<br/>was an entertainment job that only unsuccessful people undertook. This boy, Ryouta, was confirming that<br/>theory. He had spiky hair and big headphones with cat ears on them. He seemed fairly unreliable.</p>
<p>
  <em>What could he even be listening to at a time like this?</em>
</p>
<p>???: “As graceful and unperturbable as the Great Wave, I am next to make an entrance. Beholden<br/>my fans, synonymous with the rise and fall of emotion, of life and death... I am the Ultimate Sensu<br/>Odoriko. Fan dancing is my life, my emotion, my air. My name... Mai Imai.”</p>
<p>
  <em>Mai Imai...?</em>
</p>
<p>I tried to stifle a giggle, but a fraction of it escaped my throat.</p>
<p>???: “You dare ridicule me, lowborn?!”</p>
<p>The fan dancer’s demeanor changed instantly. She moved her fans—one in each hand—as she spoke.<br/>Before, the motions of her bluish-purple painted fans had been slow and relaxed, but as she became<br/>angered, she flipped them to the other side, revealing a starkly different reddish-pink color. One arm of her<br/>yukata was thrust over her head, with one fan pointing menacingly towards me. She reminded me of a<br/>peacock displaying its feathers.</p>
<p>Hiyori: “N-No...! I-I, umm... W-Wow, you’re so graceful...”</p>
<p>Mai: “Flattery will never dissuade my superior feelings...”</p>
<p>As she said this, she turned her fans again, retaining her prior blue-purple calm exterior.</p>
<p>
  <em>A-Are you sure...? That seemed to work pretty well...</em>
</p>
<p>I felt a small sigh of relief leave my lungs as the oppressive dancer stepped aside.</p>
<p>???: “Hi! Do you like sweets, lady?”</p>
<p>Although he addressed me as “lady,” this next boy must have been the same age I was. We were, after all,<br/>all high school students. He looked very boyish and young aside from his cooking uniform. I’d be surprised<br/>if he was even five feet tall.</p>
<p>Hiyori: “Sweets? S-Sure, but um... Maybe not right now...”</p>
<p>???: “W-What? Why not? You don’t wike my sweets??”</p>
<p>The young-looking boy began to get a little emotional and seemed to suddenly take on a lisp. His high-<br/>pitched voice must have been the one that called out “For sewious” moments before.</p>
<p>Hiyori: “H-Hey, I didn’t mean to make you cry... I’m sorry. What’s your name?”</p>
<p>???: <em>sniffle</em>... “...Y-Yori Wagashi... Hehe, Yori Wagashi! Yori Wagashi! Isn’t that fun to say? And<br/>hey, aren’t you Hiyori? Yori, Hiyori! Yori, Hiyori! Hehehe! Oh! I make sweets!”</p>
<p>
  <em>So I’ve noticed... And maybe you’ve had too many of them lately.</em>
</p>
<p>Hiyori: “Is that your talent?”</p>
<p>Yori: “Yeah! I’m the Ultimate Pa... Pa--...? Patty... Uhh...”</p>
<p>“Pâtissier,” someone chimed in.</p>
<p>Yori: “Yeah! Words are hard.”</p>
<p>I didn’t want to upset him further, but he seemed a little more than shallow. I just smiled slightly and<br/>nervously, hoping someone more reliable might soon show up.</p>
<p>???: “Nhnnhnn... You were so short I could barely see you once you stepped off of that stage,<br/>honey.”</p>
<p>Her use of the word “honey” was clearly condescending. This next girl—or was she a woman? —in line had<br/>an unmistakable countenance of looking down on others and the height to match.</p>
<p>???: “Look at you, you poor thing... No style, no makeup, no tits... Maybe I’d pour you a glass<br/>sometime out of the goodness of my heart...if I got drunk enough, nhnnhnn.”</p>
<p>
  <em>Jeez... What’s her problem?</em>
</p>
<p>Hiyori: “I-I don’t want your charity... Could you please just introduce yourself?”</p>
<p>???: “Maybe I should be asking you that, honey... I look like a teacher compared to all you little<br/>tots, nhnnhnn... Well, whatever. You’re looking at Rin Budou, the Ultimate Winemaker. Oh,<br/>and... my eyes are up here, honey. Nhnn.”</p>
<p>She had an annoying snicker of a laugh, but an even more annoying personality, if it could even be called<br/>that. She wore a wine-red sweater with a triangular window exposing her cleavage, which she was clearly<br/>proud of. Her makeup and style made her look way beyond her age.</p>
<p>Hiyori: “W-Winemaker? Aren’t you a minor...?”</p>
<p>Rin: “Nnhaha, oh honey... The cops got nothin’ on me. They couldn’t catch me if they tried, and<br/>even if they did, they’d be under my fingernail, nhnn.”</p>
<p>
  <em>I wouldn’t mind never interacting with her again... But something tells me that I won’t be so lucky.</em>
</p>
<p>???: “I’m not vibin’ with that at all, cuz. Don’t talk down on my girl Hiyori, you feel? This ain’t<br/>some kind of beauty contest.”</p>
<p>Although I wouldn’t necessarily call myself his “girl,” this guy kindly stood up for me. He had dreadlocks<br/>adorned with golden beads, a bright outfit, and pale purple eyes. He flashed me a handsome smile that lit up<br/>against his cocoa-colored skin.</p>
<p>???: “I’m sorry, cuz, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’m Arata Utamachi, an upstart rapper. The<br/>Ultimate Rapper at that!”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “N-Nice to meet you. Thanks for standing up for me.”</p>
<p>Arata: “Sure thing, cher. In a situation like this, ya gotta just spread the love, y’know?”</p>
<p>Although he seemed nice and reliable, his beliefs seemed a little like platitudes. He demonstrated a pose<br/>with one hand in the air, two fingers sticking up like horns, before jauntily stepping aside.</p>
<p>The next person approached me quietly. After a period of silence, I felt beckoned to be the first to speak.</p>
<p>Hiyori: “H-Hi, I’m—”</p>
<p>???: “Shh... Do you hear?”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “Hear—?”</p>
<p>???: “Susanoo...The divine wind blows...Izanagi’s cursed children whip and lash, the sky a<br/>battleground for their astral warring of the ages...”</p>
<p>
  <em>I-Is that why it’s so cold in here...?</em>
</p>
<p>Hiyori: “U-Umm... Y-You must be the Ultimate Japanese Folklorist, right?”</p>
<p>???: “Like Achilles, you overestimate yourself... Do not belittle my talents. I am Ena Mukashi,<br/>mythologist of all cultures, of all mankind, the herald of the beginning and the end.”</p>
<p>Her voice was dusty and intriguing, and her outfit even more so, combining what looked like several<br/>cultural symbols and artifacts.</p>
<p>???: “Religion is chronicled history...Through scription we make the imaginary real, personify the<br/>forces of life itself. They become the lifeblood of what it means to exist. I exist to mediate the liminal space between<br/>the realm of the fallen humanity and the risen gods.”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “I-I see...”</p>
<p>This was neither the time nor place for further questions, though I had several. She stepped aside and a<br/>small, futuristic-looking boy with an eyepiece took her place. He had a bit of a nasal voice and seemed to<br/>have a fleeting attention. He punched numbers on a handheld calculator as he spoke to me, failing to make<br/>eye contact.</p>
<p>???: “Hello. I am the eighth person to make an introduction. As of now, you have taken exactly</p>
<p>thirty-two steps since emerging from the curtain. You appeared to have breathed a total of eighty-<br/>two times since that point, including both inhalation and exhalation.”</p>
<p><em>H-How...did he count all that? </em>Why<em> did he count all that...?</em></p>
<p>???: “I am Noboru Banji. I am the Ultimate Mathematician. It has been a pleasure speaking these<br/>past sixty-nine words to you.”</p>
<p>From the part of the room where the people I was already acquainted with stood, I heard Ryouta giggle.</p>
<p>Hiyori: “N-Nice to meet you.”</p>
<p>Noboru stepped aside and continued to press numbered buttons.</p>
<p>???: “Hello! You seem pretty nice. I bet we’ll get along!”</p>
<p>A small girl with bright red hair and a sleek black and gold outfit approached me next. She was short, but<br/>radiant, and had an aura of accomplishment. This was probably because of the several gold medals that<br/>adorned her neck.</p>
<p>???: “I’m Kaori Shimizu, three-time Olympic gold medalist! I’m an ice skater.”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “W-Wow... I never thought anyone my age could be an Olympian...”</p>
<p>Kaori: “Yup! It just takes a lot of practice and a lot of effort!”</p>
<p>
  <em>Sounds like the kind of oversimplifying language that extremely talented people tend to speak...</em>
</p>
<p>Kaori: “If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know! Aside from gliding on the ice,<br/>taking care of people is my specialty!”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “T-Thank you...”</p>
<p>Her motherly attitude was a little disrupted by her short stature, but she still felt like a breath of fresh air.<br/>Despite her skin-tight skating smock, she didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold.</p>
<p>???: “Hhmph. Guess I’m next...”</p>
<p>The next person to approach me was a pale boy with a utility belt. He seemed—and smelled—a little<br/>unclean.</p>
<p>
  <em>Someone like this can be an Ultimate, too...?</em>
</p>
<p>???: “Hideki Iwada. Spelunker. Don’t bother me unless you’ve got diamonds ya need cuttin’. I’m<br/>serious, you hear me?”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “G-Got it...”</p>
<p>He was beyond gruff, but at least he seemed more annoyed than angry. I hoped I didn’t have to be trapped<br/>here with him for long.</p>
<p>???: “...”</p>
<p>This next girl didn’t say a word. She just stood in front of me, anxiety clearly present on her face. I opened<br/>my mouth to speak, but she stopped me.</p>
<p>???: “D-Don’t open your mouth... You aren’t even wearing a mask... U-Ugh... Just... d-distance<br/>yourself. If you have to get close to me, let me s-sanitize you first...”</p>
<p>
  <em>What am I, a raccoon, fresh out of the garbage...?</em>
</p>
<p>???: “D-Don’t give me that look... H-Humans are a plague, carriers of copious diseases...”</p>
<p>
  <em>Should I break the news to her that she’s also human...?</em>
</p>
<p>???: “U-Uhm... Anyway. I’m Sunako Shibata... V-Virologist. The more I l-learn, the worse my life<br/>g-gets...”</p>
<p>I had no words for the self-proclaimed virologist. She had greenish hair that was turning silver from stress<br/>and many articles of protective gear, including, of course, a facemask. I think my desire to steer clear of her<br/>was mutual.</p>
<p>???: “Hahaha! Well okay then! It’s a great day in Japan, everybody, we get to play the introduction<br/>game! Woohoo!”</p>
<p>
  <em>And I thought Mai was oppressive...</em>
</p>
<p>This next boy’s outfit was beyond repulsive, being a flashy an eyesore of gold, tan, and rainbow. It would<br/>be an understatement to say he seemed a bit unaware.</p>
<p>???: “Guess my name! I’ll give you the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E! Take your best guess!”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “I-I’d rather not.”</p>
<p>???: “I’d like to solve! Da-i-chi Sho-u-bu! Wow, that’s correct! Wow, I just won a brand-new car!<br/>Yeaahhhhh!! The Ultimate Contestant wins again!”</p>
<p>
  <em>...What planet is this guy on?!</em>
</p>
<p>Without another word, he strolled off, cheering and boasting for whatever reason. The one to take his place<br/>was the girl with the jet-black hair and round glasses from before. She seemed plain, like me, wearing only<br/>a dark school uniform; however, her eyes somehow shone with incredible depth.</p>
<p>???: “So many personalities... So this is what it’s like to be in a room full of Ultimates. I trust you’re<br/>one, too?”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “Y-Yeah. I’m the Ultimate Meteorologist.”</p>
<p>???: “Well... That explains your outfit. I’m Tomo Kenmei. They call me the Ultimate Negotiator.”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “N-Negotiator?”</p>
<p>Tomo: “Indeed. The power to persuade for anyone’s good—or evil—rests with me.”</p>
<p>
  <em>That’s...a chaotic way to use a power like that...</em>
</p>
<p>Hiyori: “H-How do you, umm... ‘negotiate’...?”</p>
<p>Tomo: “Haha... That’s a personal secret, Nomura-san. Hopefully you won’t be trapped here long<br/>enough to see it happen...”</p>
<p>She demonstrated a very mischievous glare and seemed to revel in the fear she evoked from me. She<br/>seemed perfectly content with being mysterious and using that sense of the unknown to instill a discomfort<br/>in my heart. Though she looked unassuming, something about her felt truly dangerous.</p>
<p>But perhaps not as dangerous as him.</p>
<p>The last person left in the gymnasium had not moved an inch from when I first saw him. Like an owl, he<br/>kept his gaze locked on me, his eyes seeming to dilate a little as he stared. Though completely still, I felt as<br/>though he could pounce on me at any moment. I felt like I’d felt that gaze somewhere before, but I couldn’t<br/>quite place it.</p>
<p>???: “...”</p>
<p>He kept his hands in the pocket of his bomber jacket, eyes—perhaps his most dangerous weapon—sheathed<br/>partially by his rustic-looking plaid cap. He had a quiver of arrows strapped to his back, but no bow.</p>
<p>Hiyori: “W-Who... Who are you...?”</p>
<p>???: “...”</p>
<p>Tomo: “You won’t be getting any information out of him... But you might get it out of me. Only<br/>because I think you—and everyone—should know. This man is the Ultimate Hunter. His name is<br/>Katsuo Mato.”</p>
<p>Katsuo didn’t even flinch at his name and talent being exposed. He merely kept his eyes locked on me, like<br/>some sort of predator.</p>
<p>Hiyori: “W-What does he hunt...?”</p>
<p>Tomo: “Haha... Who knows...?”</p>
<p>That remark sent a shiver down my spine; Tomo seemed to love it. My only choice was to try to ignore his<br/>gaze, but even as I turned away, I could feel his eyes piercing through me like a spear.</p>
<p>Kaori: “Well... That’s everybody, right?”</p>
<p>Noboru: “All fourteen of us have exchanged an average of fifteen words with Hiyori. Katsuo<br/>lowered the mean and median of that value by a large amount.”</p>
<p>Hideki: “Could you speak in shorter sentences, little man? My brain’s achin’ and it’s pissin’ me off.”</p>
<p>Itoko: “Mmm, someone’s grumpy...”</p>
<p>Yori: “Hey, why don’t we all share a cupcake? I brought one with me here in my apron!”</p>
<p>Sunako: “H-H-How long has that disgusting morsel been in there...? It’s probably f-festering...!”</p>
<p>Rin: “The only things that’re festering are your ladyparts, honey... Goodness knows you’ve never<br/>been touched by a man, nhnnhnn.”</p>
<p>Ryouta: “Ouch! That’s pretty cringe...”</p>
<p>
  <em>I don’t know what’s going on, but these people sure aren’t giving me any hope right now...</em>
</p>
<p>The bickering continued until we were all hushed by a loud banging noise from the other side of the locked<br/>gymnasium door.</p>
<p>
  <em>...Bang!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>...Bang!</em>
</p>
<p>Arata: “Y-Yo, who’s that...?!”</p>
<p>Ena: “It chimes the toll of death... The hand of Thanatos approaches to ensnare us, to usher us<br/>beyond the threshold of the mortal...”</p>
<p>Arata: “I-I have no idea what that means but I am not down with it!”</p>
<p>The banging grew louder and louder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katsuo reach one hand silently<br/>towards his quiver, prepared to arm himself. And then, finally...</p>
<p>WHAM!</p>
<p>???: “...G-Great Caesar’s ghost...!”</p>
<p>Before us stood a man wearing a full suit of armor, his face unsheathed. He had pounded the door open with<br/>a small log, like some sort of one-man battering ram. We all stood completely silent as we beheld him. He<br/>looked like someone from another age.</p>
<p>???: “Who art thou? What names dost thou beareth? And how, prithee... didst thou get here?”</p>
<p>Tomo: “We don’t know. We just appeared here.”</p>
<p>The knight looked baffled by this, attempting to process Tomo’s claim.</p>
<p>???: “I-Inconceivable... This estate hath not been inhabited in over one hundred years...”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “A-A hundred years...?!”</p>
<p>???: “That is correct, mistress.”</p>
<p>Hiyori: “A-Ah, p-please don’t call me th—”</p>
<p>???: “I knoweth not how thine appeared here, but this castle... She bears the name of Despair.”</p>
<p>
  <em>The castle... is named Despair...? Wait... What castle?!</em>
</p>
<p>Tomo: “You mean to tell me... That we’re in a castle?”</p>
<p>Hideki: “Tch! I call bullshit on this fella. If this place is abandoned, why are you even here?”</p>
<p>???: “...My name is Isamu Yoroi. I am a knight, in service of my deceased lord. Before my liege fell<br/>in battle, this was his estate. His enemies never occupied this place, for the castle beareth the name<br/>Despair, cursing whosoever setteth foot inside with a life of pain and suffering... My only duty now<br/>that he is dead is to ward off any who wouldst seek to enter. But now... Among me standeth fifteen<br/>children, within the impregnable castle walls...”</p>
<p>Rin: “Child, you say? Nhnnhnn... Are your eyes alright, tin man? No child would have a body like<br/>this.”</p>
<p>Isamu: “I see... Pardon my grievous error. There art fourteen children and one wench.”</p>
<p>Rin: “W-WENCH?!”</p>
<p>Kaori: “I-I don’t think that’s important right now...!”</p>
<p>Katsuo: “Why... are we here.”</p>
<p>That was the first time he had spoken. His voice was deep and dark, like a thicket at nightfall.</p>
<p>???: “Puhuhu! Really makes you wonder, huh?”</p>
<p>I recognized that high-pitched voice. Our world went dark for just a moment as the gymnasium lights shut<br/>off. A blisteringly cold wind blew in like a blizzard as I clutched by body, shielding my eyes. I opened them</p>
<p>just a crack, seeing a silhouette standing in the doorway of the gym, surrounded by rushing wind and snow.<br/>When the wind stopped whipping and the white snow settled, standing amongst it was...</p>
<p>Hiyori: “A-A bear?”</p>
<p>
  <em>This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder...</em>
</p>
<p>It was black on one side and white on the other. The black side of the bear was ornamented with a cryptic-<br/>looking, red, scar-shaped eye that seemed to hold endless wells of danger inside.</p>
<p>Daichi: “First a knight, then a castle, and now a bear... I’ll take The Middle Ages for $800!”</p>
<p>Yori: "T-Thewe were beaws in the Middle Ages...?!"</p>
<p>???: “Puhu... How foolish of you to assume I’m just a bear. Have you ever seen...this?!”</p>
<p>The bear brandished a pair of mittens. One was white and the other was black.</p>
<p>???: “Mittens! I’m Tebukurokuma!”</p>
<p>Everyone: “...?”</p>
<p>???: “...Oh. Maybe if I told them my name first, they’d get the joke. Ahem. Hello, students of<br/>Hope’s Peak Academy’s Second Campus! I’m your Headmaster, jokester, and all-around lovely<br/>host, Monokuma!”</p>
<p>Everyone: “...”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Eh? Eh? Do you get it now? Tebukurokuma?”</p>
<p>Noboru: “I believe the punchline of your quip far exceeded the acceptable realm of what is<br/>colloquially considered ‘comedic timing’ by over twenty seconds.”</p>
<p>Everyone: “...”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “... Geez. Did I just crash the wrong party? Is this the Student Anti-Fun Committee?<br/>Should I have picked the castle next door?”</p>
<p>Tomo: “Just tell us what you want with us, ‘Headmaster.’ Something tells me that you’re not just<br/>here to make jokes.”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Ahh, right you are, my bright student! This is always my favorite part. I’ve brought<br/>you all here for a game, puhuhu!”</p>
<p>Daichi: “A game! Awesome! What are the prizes?!”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Freedom! Life!”</p>
<p>Daichi: “Aww... I already have those.”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Puhuhu... Do you? You have no idea where you are or what situation you’re in.<br/>Allow me to enlighten you...”</p>
<p>The bear named Monokuma paraded his sharp claws and razor-like teeth in a gesture that emanated pure,<br/>deadly despair. Without him needing to say anything more, I became aware of exactly what kind of<br/>situation I was in. A knot formed in my throat as he continued his monologue.</p>
<p>Monokuma: “This... is a killing game. And you’re playing whether you like it or not!”</p>
<p>Isamu: “I-I know not of which you speak, beast... It be a contest of slaughter?”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Puhuhu... That’s right. The killing game is where hope shines the brightest while<br/>despair tries to blot it out! There’s nothing like the thrills and chills of murder!”</p>
<p>Yori: “M-Muwdew?!”</p>
<p>Arata: “Y-Yo, I-I-I’m trippin’ hard...”</p>
<p>Mai: “To kill another human being... Such is a dance only performed by ne’er-do-wells and brutes.<br/>I’ll have no part in it.”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Grrr, as if you’d have a say in the matter, dimwit! You don’t get a choice! C’mon,<br/>class, let’s take a little field trip. Don’t be shy now!”</p>
<p>Reluctantly, we followed the bear outside of the gymnasium and into the blistering cold. Like a light at the<br/>end of a tunnel, the outside world came into view.</p>
<p>Hiyori: “Oh... m-my...god...”</p>
<p>The gymnasium entrance gave way to a massive courtyard of cobblestone dusted with snow. All around us<br/>were massive stone structures: four stone towers and a larger, penultimate structure resembling a<br/>cathedral. It had buttresses, gargoyles, and everything else a castle from a fantasy might have. But perhaps<br/>more importantly were the giant stone walls encapsulating the entirety of the massive estate, including the<br/>wintry forest beyond the courtyard. The only way beyond the walls seemed to be the giant wooden<br/>drawbridge in the distance.</p>
<p>Isamu: “Ye gazeth upon the castle by the name of Despair.”<br/>Monokuma: “Puhuhu! And what a fitting name it is! Do you see those walls, class? There’s nothing<br/>you could do to scale them! And even if there was...”</p>
<p>Monokuma exposed his claws again as he continued.</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Anyone who tries to scale those walls will get personally shish-kabobbed by me and<br/>my unmittened bear claws!”</p>
<p>Yori: “Ooh, yum! Bear claws!”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Not that kind, you little idiot! These are the kind of claws you don’t want a taste of!<br/>Grrr!”</p>
<p>Sunako: “S-So... w-we have to kill? W-What if I just don’t want to? I-I-I don’t have to leave... L-<br/>L-Living here seems nice...!”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Puhuhu... I don’t think you’d want to do that.”</p>
<p>Hideki: “W-Why the hell not? Y-You can’t make me do shit!”</p>
<p>Suddenly, a splintering wind blew through. I couldn’t feel my face, even though it was only early<br/>November.</p>
<p>Hideki: “F-F-F-F-Fuck... W-W-W-Where can a dude get a jacket a-around here?”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Puhuhu... That’s only a taste of what is to come for you. Isn’t that right, Sir Yoroi<br/>the Blue?”</p>
<p>Isamu: “The beast knoweth mine knighthood in full...! But alas, he speaks the truth. Come the end<br/>of the month, the yearly permafrost be upon us. No conflagration nor feat of man could quell the<br/>mortal cold that ariseth. Today would hath been mine day to migrate yonder, lest I succumb... But<br/>now...!”</p>
<p>T-The permafrost... I wonder where we are geographically that such a thing could happen to us... We must be<br/>in the northern hemisphere, right? ...Or maybe not... How do we even know what day it is? How long had we<br/>been knocked out...?</p>
<p>Kaori: “S-So we’re just gonna freeze to death...?!”</p>
<p>Itoko: “Mmm, don’t worry, Kaori. To-chan imbues her sweaters with lots and lots of love.”</p>
<p>Kaori: “A-Ah... Ahhh... Y-Yeah, um... That’s so nice...a-and definitely helpful...”</p>
<p>Rin: “F-Fuck off with that charade! I-I can’t die here, I’ve got men to lure and hangovers to get<br/>over! I-I mean, umm... M-My passion!”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Puhuhu! Don’t like it? Just kill someone! Easy, isn’t it?”</p>
<p>Ryouta: “K-Kill...w-with kindness? With words? In Underwatch? C-Can I just cancel someone on<br/>social media?”</p>
<p>Noboru: “I would postulate that there is at least a ninety percent chance that the process is much<br/>more complicated than that.”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “You’re right, twerp! The killing game would be boring if all you had to do was<br/>murder! It’d be over in two seconds! So... the object of the killing game is... to kill and get away<br/>with it, puhu!”</p>
<p>
  <em>T-This is evil...! I-I can’t believe this is happening... Today was supposed to be the best day of my life...</em>
</p>
<p>Tomo: “Who is there to judge whether or not we get away with murder?”</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Yourselves, of course! After each murder, we’ll hold a trial. If the killer can get<br/>through the trial without being found out, they’ll be allowed to leave, while everyone else stays!”</p>
<p>
  <em>W-Why is this happening...?! I-I don’t want to kill... I-I don’t want to be killed...!</em>
</p>
<p>Monokuma: “The game will end when only one person is left alive within the castle walls! But<br/>don’t take toooo long, or...”</p>
<p>Precisely on cue, another whipping cold blasted through.</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Puhuhu!”</p>
<p>Monokuma brandished the key ring upon which hung the black-and-white key that presumably granted access<br/>to the drawbridge that led to the outside world. In a fleeting second, an object whizzed right across our<br/>faces, only barely missing the key ring that Monokuma flaunted.</p>
<p>Monokuma: “...Eh? If not for my bear-like reflexes, that would’ve worked! Hey, what’s the big<br/>idea?”</p>
<p>The object was an arrow with a bright red tail. It landed firmly in the snow. Katsuo lowered his head very<br/>slightly, eyes still burning with determination, locked on the bear. Even without a bow, he could throw<br/>arrows at that speed and strength.</p>
<p>Monokuma: “Nice try, though, bucko. You want the keys? Kill. Chop. Strangle. Drown! Burn! I<br/>don’t give a damn! You’d best make your sorry little selves comfortable, because for many of you,<br/>this will be the place where you make bloody little puddles in the snow! Aaahahahahaa!!”</p>
<p>And with that gruesome remark, the bear vanished into thin air.</p>
<p>Everyone: “...”</p>
<p>There was a long period of silence. After a moment, Katsuo somberly walked over to where his arrow lay<br/>in the snow and swiftly yanked it out, brushing it clean with his gloves. He continued in the direction he<br/>was going after that, opposite the castle.</p>
<p>Isamu: “Wherefore art thou going, archer? The Castle Despair lay henceforth.”</p>
<p>Katsuo did not respond. He trudged slowly out of the courtyard and towards the forest, making tracks in<br/>the thin layer of snow at our feet.</p>
<p>Isamu: “Even these chilled wins canst slay thee, heed my behest! The safest sanctum rests within the<br/>castle!”</p>
<p>Katsuo kept walking.</p>
<p>Tomo: “I think that man is best left to his own devices.”</p>
<p>Isamu looked concerned as Katsuo trailed off, farther and farther out of view.</p>
<p>Isamu: “V-Very well. Nightfall will be upon us soon. Come hither, I shall show thou all to thine<br/>rooms.”</p>
<p>Castle Despair was a damp, clinical place. Sluggishness was apparent in everyone’s movement. We’d been<br/>hit with a brick wall of information, every tidbit sucking more and more life out of us. What was going to<br/>become of us?</p>
<p>Isamu led us through the castle’s entrance corridor, after which a three-way intersection was reached. We<br/>were told that more than enough bedrooms existed on the left and right parts of the castle. The girls would<br/>occupy one side of the castle while the boys occupied the other. On the boys’ side was also the eatery, and<br/>on the girls’ side was also the library. Without any further questions or comments, we all nodded, making<br/>our way to the undesignated rooms. Each of us girls simply wobbled over to a room and occupied it. The<br/>doors had no locks, being opened by pulling a ring in place of a doorknob. My room, and likely the others,<br/>was meager, resembling a servant’s room. There was a small table, some chairs, a wardrobe, some<br/>shelving, a small furnace, and a surprisingly new-looking mattress on the bed with a small logo in the corner<br/>bearing Monokuma’s face.</p>
<p>
  <em>...I really don’t wanna sleep on that...</em>
</p>
<p>But I had no choice. My body pulsed with overwhelming fatigue as I flopped onto the bed. In my last few<br/>seconds of consciousness, I pondered all that had happened. I had no idea where I was, and I had to kill one<br/>of my classmates if I wanted to leave. I had no idea who to trust and no idea what to do. I thought about</p>
<p>mom, about my other family and friends. Were they okay? Would I be okay? Was this my fate now? The<br/>curse of Despair Castle already wriggled in my brain, feeding me questions that had no answers.<br/>And so the night passed; cold, relentless, and unforgiving.</p>
<p>Fanganronpa: Cold Blooded<br/>Prologue END</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading. This is my first post on AO3, though I have written complete Danganronpa fan works before. If you have any time to give me feedback on my writing, I would greatly appreciate it. You can DM me on Discord at Doctor_Faustus#9118. Tell me which characters you like, which you don't, if you like the premise or not, anything at all! Thanks again, and have a great day.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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